Barcelona: The Legendary Host of the America’s Cup and More

It is the Holy Grail of all port cities on the planet. To host the America’s Cup is to become part of the legend of sailing and sport in general. This competition is quite simply the oldest in history. With an inaugural edition in 1851, the event even predates the first Olympic Games (1896). But this 174-year-old “old lady” has not aged a bit. Better even, according to the technological evolutions, it seems to rejuvenate from edition to edition. And who says exceptional competition, says exceptional setting.

A know-how that is no longer to be demonstrated

The 37th America’s Cup will therefore set up its masts and foils, from August 2024 until the grand finale in October, in the port of Barcelona. In the meantime, the pre-regattas will have taken place from September 14 to 17, 2023 in the water body of Vilanova i la Geltrù and will mark the real start of the competition. It is indeed on this body of water that the public will have the first taste of the America’s Cup, with the AC40s (Editor’s note: the name of the participating yachts) which will compete in match-racing a few meters from the harbor entrance. Spectators won’t be able to miss a thing of the show: placed a stone’s throw from the regattas from the stands of La Daurada, they will be close enough to distinguish the famous “foils”, these appendages which allow the boats to literally float on the water!

Emirates Team New Zealand training in Barcelona for the America’s Cup © America’s Cup

Credit: DR

No one can yet predict whether defending champion Emirates Team New Zealand will retain the Silver Ewer, the oldest sporting trophy in the world. What we can know, however, is that Barcelona, ​​who have already organized the 1992 Olympic Games and hosted matches of the Football World Cup, will be up to the occasion. And this, thanks to ultra-modern infrastructures combined with an unrivaled geographical and cultural location in the Mediterranean.

So many privileges that Catalonia cannot reserve for the America’s Cup alone, however prestigious it may be. The region, for a very long time, has maintained its reputation as a jewel of nautical competition. And it is therefore anything but a coincidence that other world-renowned events will take place in its highly prized waters.

A frenetic series of competitions

The Optimist World Championship, organized in June, has just ended and will give way, in September, to the ORC Worlds, one of the most famous sailing races in the nautical sphere. For seven days, the competitors will compete in the form of regattas along the Catalan coast and back and forth to the Balearic Islands. Never weaned from competition, Catalonia will also host the Canoe World Championships in 2027. Defeating the candidacy of Paris, the towns of La Seu d’Urgell and Sort have thus been designated by the International Canoe Federation to host the next Worlds. Because, behind the Barcelona attraction, there is indeed a whole region that makes every effort to satisfy water sports enthusiasts, whether they are professionals or simple leisure enthusiasts. A real institution in Spain, nautical tourism attracts two million visitors each year, generating an impact of 2,000 million euros per season!

Alinghi Red Bull Racing in training off Barcelona ©Alex Carabi / America’s Cup

Credit: DR

Nautical leisure, the keystone of an entire region

Catalonia obviously takes a big part in this Spanish success. With its 580 kilometers of coast, from Portbou, in the North, to La Senià, which marks the border with the province of Valencia, it has no less than 47 ports. And the tourist attraction does not stop at its coasts alone since visitors can also indulge in the joys of fresh water in the many waterways that crisscross the interior of its lands.

So rowing enthusiasts will necessarily find their happiness in Lake Banyoles (Costa Brava) and its six dedicated corridors, or the Ebro River (25 navigable kilometers) in Amposta. For lovers of canoeing and refreshing rapids, head for the Pyrenees with the towns of La Seu d’Urgell and Sort which offer, among other things, rafting and hydrospeed activities for the former and 25 permanent slalom gates for the latter. training and competition for the second.

A region facing the Mediterranean, Catalonia has some jewels certified as “nautical sports tourist villages”. This is particularly the case of Cambrils, Salou and Ametlla de Mar. So many names that aficionados of aquatic activities, but also fans of Mediterranean cuisine, know by heart. A diptych that can also be found on the Costa Barcelona, ​​through the tourist wonders of Sitges, a village landlocked between the sea, vineyards and mountains, and Mataro with Roman origins. Finally, how not to mention, further north of the Barcelona region, the famous Costa Brava. Around the city of Girona, this coast is full of historical sites, the imprint of Salvator Dali is omnipresent there and, of course, the nautical activities are as numerous as the beaches with crystal clear waters…

2023-07-19 09:30:00


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